Saturday, August 16, 2008

If you look in my right hand side bar, you'll find a link to Mark Batterson's blog Evotional. While I haven't (yet) met Mark in person, I have been learning from him through his blog for a few years now. Mark pastors National Community Church, a multi-site church in Washington DC. They are a theater church.

Last summer I read on vacation Mark's first book In a Pit With A Lion On a Snowy Day. So when Mark offered free pre-release copies of his second book- Wild Goose Chase - I jumped at the chance to review it. I'm not paid for this review other than a free book. I will be giving away a free copy of this book to a reader of the blog. See the bottom of this post for details on how to get my extra copy.

With all that said, I recommend this book. I think it is better than his first book, which was no slouch on it's own.On the surface, I like this book better because it is more readable. It has a better flow, and story lines that capture my imagination far better than In a Pit did. My reaction to Wild Goose Chase after 50 pages was that there was a lot here that would preach, and the rest did not disappoint. The book is filled with quotable line and ideas I plan on stealing.

I read a lot of books, and for better or worse, I am probably more cynical than your average pastor. I stayed engaged throughout the book, and feel that I have grown from some of the ideas that Mark develops.

One of the key passages of the book, an idea that much of the rest of the book is built upon is found on page 16. There Pastor Mark says:

I'm not convinced that your date of death is the date carved on your tombstone. Most people die long before that. We start dying when we have nothing worth living for. And we really don't start living until we find something worth dying for. Ironically, discovering something worth dying for is what makes life worth living.

Good, clear, hard words from a man who is passionate and isn't afraid to share that passion with the world. Christ is made known through this book, and the greatness of God is on full display.

The book is clearly targeted for believers, so don't go looking for a lengthy apologetic or anything of that sort. It is not that book. But what it is, it does good. This would make for a great small group book, or a book to read as a whole church. If you need an infusion of the Holy Spirit, if you need to recapture some of that adventure of following Christ, this is a great place to start!

If you would like to purchase this book, Amazon has a great price on Wild Goose ChaseOn getting yourself a free copy of this book: Leave a comment on this post sharing how you are growing, or would like to grow in your experience of the Holy Spirit. From the comments I will choose a winner of the book (make sure I can track you down if you leave a comment!). I'll ship or deliver the book at my cost.

Bedrock Beliefs:

1. That Christ is my personal Lord and Savior and is the only solution to my sin problem.2. That we need to honor God in everything we do.3. That people matter to God.4. That the local church is the hope of the world.5. That the truths of Scripture should be communicated in meaningful and relevant ways.
Opinions expressed here are strictly my own personal viewpoints.Email Me: